we begin with a developing story this friday morning. >> bombshell new details about the u.s. soldier accused of a murderous rampage as the military flies him back to the u.s. as soon as today. severe storms. another rare winter twister caught on camera. it touches down, tearing apart an entire subdivision been. lines have been growing throughout the night. a few hours before these people open up they new ipads. and dear devil in space. a jumper jumping from 13 miles up. good morning, i'm.

the j. winick in for rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris. happy friday, everyone. major development this is morning in the case of a u.s. soldier accused of killing afghan civilians. he could be moved to a military prison in the united states as soon as today. >> we're joined by tahman bradley in washington with more. >> reporter: the lawyer for the accused soldier says he doesn't have all the facts. he offered new details into the soldier's mind set the night of the rampage. the lawyer for the u.s. army staff sergeant is painting a better picture of the man who allegedly carried out the massacre. the day before the shoot, his client saw a fellow soldier's leg blown auto >> we have been informed at the small base he was at somebody was gravely injured before the alleged incident.

it affected all of the soldiers. >> reporter: the incident has not been independently confirmed. brown said his client is a highly decorated soldier with no past misbehavior. they thought he was done fighting before he was deployed. >> he was told he was not going to be deployed. he and the family were not happy that he was going back. >> reporter: officials tell the new york times that the suspect snapped under strain from stress lelted to his deployment and from domestic issues back home. >> i don't know where it came from, it's quite offensive to the family and to us that there was some sort of gesture that there was discord in the family. it is untrue. >> reporter: tensions in afghanistan remain high. hamid karzai is demanding that the u.s. speed up the

withdrawal. afghans are furious that u.s. officials removed him from the country. they would like to see him put on public trial in afghanistan. our other big story this morning. another powerful tornado zeros in on the midwest. this time in southeastern south central michigan. >> here's what it looked like last night over dexter. you can hear the people behind the camera plans to take cover if it comes their way. by the time it was over, more than 100 homes were damaged. tara edwards from our detroit station is there. >> reporter: it's truly a disaster area. the or the may doe that tore through ripped off second floors of homes and leveled a couple of homes. >> we have a couple of windows here knocked out. >> and it hit -- i thought it only hit on this side of the

house from what i was listening to, until i walked out and saw the garage was missing. >> reporter: bob moved in in 1999 when the home was brand new. he's amazed at the destruction. >> it just kept swirling. it didn't look like it was moving. >> reporter: many others here they herd the warning on tv. within minutes, it was here. >> we shut the door and prayed and held hands. we called our husbands and said not to come home. >> reporter: luckily no one died. the cleanup is expected to take weeks. tara edwards, abc news, dexter. >> you don't normally see twisters that far north this early. it already feels like summer with temperatures hitting the upper 70s. we won't see the extreme flooding we have seen in past years. there are no snow pax this year for spring rains to melt. president obama is on the

road today,ppettending campaign epts in chicago and atlanta. he released a new clip. this never before seen clip of bill clinton defending the auto bailout. >> you kill the auto parts dealer ships and the fact rirks people have no idea what would have happened. >> meanwhile, vice president biden called out mitt romney, newt gingrich and rick santorum for their failure to support that bailout. today, mitt romney travels to puerto rico. he has deep pockets but the long campaign is starting to strain his finances. he's spent about $90,000 for each delegate he's won. rick santorum has spent about

$29,000 per delegate. one person that doesn't have to worry about campaign cash is george clooney. he ruled out any official run for office yesterday. he was leaving an oval office meeting with the president over the crisis in south sudan. time for the weather. pouring rain in the pacific northwest and california. you'll have heavy snow in the sierra nevada, and the rockies. thunderstorms scattered showers from the midwest and ohio valleys into the deep south and gulf coast. >> mostly 80s from new orleans to atlanta. 61 here in new york city. 51 in boston. upper 70s in the middle of the country. phoenix warms up to 83. salt lake city to 72. >> no denying where you're from. how sit again? >> boston. coming up, the president

considering a plan to ease the high gas prices. and lining up for apple's new ipad. we asked the experts, if you've already got one, should you really get the new one? and they just can't wait

longer. take a look at this die hard fans of the ipad. they've been waiting all night for the latest edition which goes on sale this morning. the apple website has been sold

out of ipads for delivery today for about a week. should you rush out and get one? it will cost you at least $500. the ipad you already have may be all that you need. technology adviser joanna stern advises whether to upgrade. >> if they have the ipad one, it's definitely worth upgrading. if you have the ipad 2, you should be able to wait. and just on ipad anticipation, apple's stock hit $600 a share at one point yesterday. and shares of the asian suppliers were up. tokyo's nikkei average was up 7 points. hong kong's hang seng was down 24. the dow rose 59 points yesterday. the nasdaq index gained 16.

help could be on the way for motorists. president obama is considering releasing some of the country's strategic petroleum reserve. gas prices are up 31 cents a month. in the prices are not bad enough, scammers have found new ways to get you at the pump. nay install skimming devices and they can clone your card and use it elsewhere. and all bauds of these little things, worker pru eer t productivity takes a nose dive. watching the game at work cost $175 million to employers yesterday and today alone. might as well take a personal day or a, sick day. >> i think you're coming down

with something. >> i think i am. more sports from espn comes on this friday morning. and the incredible test jump. the daredevil sky dive from 13 miles up. >> no way. [ female announcer ] you do so much... to stay healthy. but did you know fiber choice can help support your overall well-being? every tasty tablet has prebiotic fiber from fruits and veggies... that lets your good bacteria thrive and helps support your immune system. fiber choice. an easy way to defend your health everyday. learn more about prebiotics and get a free sample at fiberchoice.com. what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ?

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another look now at a destructive tornado that plowed through the southeastern corner of michigan. the twister ripped apart more than 100 homes in the town of dexter last night. they caused fires and flooding and toppled trees. fortunately no one was injured. ice and snow on parts of i-15, 84, and 90 in the northern rockies and cascade. wet at time on i-10, 20, and 40 in the south and i-70 from indianapolis to pittsburgh. if you're flying today, airport delays possible in atlanta, boston, new york, and

san francisco. a suburban atlanta man is found guilty but mentally ill for the murder of man outside a day care center. >> that's right. hemy neuman said an angel with the voice of olivia newton-john and a deem within the voice of barry white incouraged him to kill his lover's husband. >> i am so, so sorry. i can't say it enough. to all of you. to the precious children. to all five of them. to the sneidermans, the greenbergs, my friends, family, and community at large. i'm sorry. >> he'll spend the rest of his life in prison and receive mental health treatment. former illinois governor rod blagojevich is now a federal inmate. he walked into a low security prison just outside denver to begin his 14-year sentence.

he says he has faith he'll be released early on appeal. and actor russell brand was arrested in new orleans after a con fromation with a photographer. tm zx says he snatched a photographer's iphone, threw it out the window. he did reimburse that photographer for damages. he said since steve jobs' death he cannot bear to see anyone use an iphone irreverently. questions about the safety of carnival rides in texas. this shows the 3-year-old girl flying off a ride after she slipped under the restants. she suffered a concussion. well, a robber in oregon clearly picked the wrong target. the suspect tried to spray a substance in the deli owner's face and reach to the cash

register. the clerk pulled out a bat and started swinging. he broke the bat. luckily, the robber wore a helmet. you may be hobbling in your bracket. 16 games today in round one. good luck, everybody. for pro hoops, we turn to espn news. good morning, and welcome to your espn news update. sidney crosby back on the ice for the first sim since december 5th. taking on the rangers. pittsburgh has remained one of the nhl's hottest teams thank to evgeni malkin. 2-1, penguins. crosby, 16 minutes of ice time. working his magic behind the net. plus three for the pens. when he was on the ice. well done for the 24-year-old.

when healthy, the best play nor the world. later in the third, kris letang. also coming back from an injury. on the ice for all five pittsburgh goals. including that one from pascal dupuis. they have won ten in a row, the penguins. thunder and the nuggets in the nba. the mile-high city. kevin durant. the steal. the score. he had 20 points. counts, and the foul. the nuggets trying to fight back. danilo gallinari, missed quite a bit of time this year with the injury. denver, 6-2 since the all-star break, down three. too much from k.d. wow, one more look. that's why he's the nba's back-to-back scoring champion. thunder now up nine. durant. more work. russell westbrook. part of the dynamic duo in oklahoma city.

he had 23. thunder roll to an easy win, beating the nuggets, four straight times. that is your espn news update. i'm zubin mehenti. have a great weekend. are you going to be watching any college basketball games? >> i will. i went 12-4 in my first day. i plan to dominate over the weekend. i'm going 16-0 in my bracket today. >> don't get cocky. >> pride cometh before the fall. >> it gets easy at first and then more and more difficult. a nice first day. well, average. an australia daredevil has gone to great heights for his latest stupt. we mean that literally. felix plummeted to earth from more than 13 miles up. >> he was in free fall for almost 4:00 before pulling the rip cord. >> no, thank you. >> he got up to speeds of 364

miles an hour. this, my friends, is just a dress rehearsal for a record. breaking leap this summer. that one, 23 miles. >> can you imagine hat? he'll have to be in free fall for seven minutes. how does your body withstand that? >> it boggles the mind. up next, animals gone wild in "the pulse." and the blog you'll want to waste time on today. naps happen. we're right back. [ molly ] wash your paws, mr. man! [ female announcer ] think your kids are getting a dependable clean -in the bathroom? -[ gasps ] [ female announcer ] think again. try charmin ultra strong. for a clean that passes inspection with fewer pieces left behind. its diamondweave texture is soft and more durable versus the ultra rippled brand so it holds up better for a more dependable clean. fewer pieces left behind. now who's the man?

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you'll be delighted to discover how good they taste. in this morning's "pulse" the call of the wild. animals like you have never seen before. in this case, animals you may have never seen. >> take a look at this giant manta ray. accidentally caught by the crew of an oil rig. what a shock to the oil workers. talk about your childhood night nears, a four-foot california king snake in a new york man's toilet. he grabbed a broom. so did the snake. he tried spraying an all-natural cleezer on it. he called the building

supervisor. he called a plumber. >> how about closing the door and calling 911? a canada goose is attacking people in an office building packing lot. she's defending her nest. an expert on canada goose management has been called in. she's using her dogs to try to scare the birds away. and finally, the human animal and proof that beds are completely overrated. >> especially if you're a toddler. when alicia noticed her two sons had a penchant for napping in the strangest places, she started capturing it on camera. >> he's not alone. she began blogging about it. parents from all over essential pictures of their kids. they're so cute and peaceful when they sleep. and then they wake up and not so much. they run all day, when you gotta nap, you gotta nap. for some of you, your local news is next.

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for the espresso drink you love, hot or iced. updating the top story, the u.s. soldier accuse offed of killing afghan civilians could be on u.s. soil by tepid of the day. there are reports he'll be september to fort lech wofrt, kansas. a tornado slammed into the town of dexter last night. fortunately, no one was hurt. on a lighter note, customers are waiting in line for the new apple ipod. looking at today's weather, scattered showers and thunderstorms from the midwest and ohio valley into the deep south. severe storms in texas and oklahoma. more downforce and heavy moin tan snow in the northwest. finally from us this friday morning, politics were topic number one for the late night

comics this week. >> that's right. here now, your "friday funnies." >> so did newt win the south? rick santorum won alabama and. . . and mitt romney won hawaii and american s oorks moa. a little mnemonic device to help you remember. places that you could go to in a w winnebago go to santorum. and places you could go by private jet or yacht go to romney. >> a long painful slog. >> this is great. now, republicans get that hillary versus obama magic, minus any women or black people. or -- or magic. >> meanwhile, rick santorum spoke yesterday at what they call the gulf coast energy

summit in biloxi, mississippi. he said he believes global warming is bogus. when he speaks about climate science, you listen because as you can see her, he looks a lot like a local weatherman. thanks, rick. now here's newt with sports. >> rick santorum is not writing off the islands. ye yesterday, he went to puerto rico to pick some delegates. he did not pander when the subject turned to what puerto rico would have to do to become a state. saying, like any other state there needs to be compliance with federal law, and that is that english needs to be the principal language. folks. folks, it takes serious cohones to go to puerto rico and tell them to stop saying cohones. >> they're loving this material, aren't they?